Likud Drops Controversial Candidate’s Place on Slate

Likud Party pariah Moshe Feiglin was dropped from the 20th spot to the 36th on the party’s Knesset slate.

Feiglin, head of the right-wing Jewish Leadership Movement, now has that much less of a chance of becoming a Knesset member in the next government.

The controversial politician’s standing on the roster dropped after a petition was submitted to the party’s internal committee by a close associate of party head Benjamin Netanyahu, who argued that members elected by district should hold higher positions than nationally elected members. Spots on the slate were reserved for categories including district candidates, women and immigrants.

Though Feiglin, who has advocated the transfer of Arabs out of Israel, said he would appeal the decision to the party and to court, on Thursday night he decided not to take his case to court, saying he had “no faith in the legal system,” only in the Likud members. He claimed Netanyahu was “making a fool of himself” trying to prevent Feiglin from retaining a realistic spot on the slate.

Netanyahu campaigned against Feiglin, saying that if he retained a prominent spot on the party slate it would damage Likud’s chances of attracting centrist voters disaffected with Kadima.

Recent polls show Likud likely to win 30-35 seats in the next Knesset.